1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an auxiliary input device; in particular, to an auxiliary input device adaptable on a virtual keyboard for providing tactile feedback.
2. Description of Related Art
As Tablet Computers (TC) become widely popular in modern daily life, the adaption of tactile operable touch panel displays has become ubiquitously common. In order to reduce the weight and volume of portable device such as a Tablet Computer (TC), physical keyboards are frequently abandoned and replaced with virtual keyboards displayed on the touch panel/screens.
However, the operational convenience of physical keyboards can hardly be replaced by virtual keyboards, partly due to the fact that a virtual keyboard cannot offer physical tactile feedback to a user; the only feedback a user receives when typing on a touch screen is visual, hence the lack of physical tactile feedback deeply hinders typing accuracy and restricts the typing speed. In comparison, physical keyboards can provide tactile boundaries for users, thus enabling typing without relying solely on the visual sense. Therefore, when a vast amount of text-inputting is required, users of TC often resort to the use of externally connected auxiliary keyboards. However, external keyboards are connected with the TC either via wire or wireless means, which may in turn increase the energy consume rate of the TC as well as adding weight and volume carried by users. Because of the abovementioned shortcomings of external keyboards, the popularity thereof has so far only been limited among a minor group of people.
Therefore, acquiring capabilities of operational and portability convenience as well as energy-saving advantages shall be the objects which related field researchers should pursue.